


Treading Water (until our bodies give way)

by arottersarotter



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Queer Character, Character Death, Eventual Happy Ending, M/M, Past Drug Addiction, Suicide Attempt, genderqueer kieren walker, if I get that far, punk kieren walker, quite alot of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 18:02:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3456635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arottersarotter/pseuds/arottersarotter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rick Macy goes to a private boarding school, him and Kieren keep in contact through letters and brisk phone calls, however when Kieren doesn't hear from Rick for three months he begins to worry. Meanwhile Amy is infatuated with the new, mysterious, trainee teacher from Ireland.<br/>~<br/>This is my first fanfiction let alone my first In the Flesh fic, so I'd really appreciate some feed back on it, eventual siren, phamy and Jem/Lisa. Also: eventual Gary being a dick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Treading Water (until our bodies give way)

“Dear Ren, How’s Roarton Valley High school treating you? I can assure you it’s ten times better than the hell hole I’m studying at now.

We need to meet up again, I miss you. I promise I’ll come round when I’m back in town.

This shite with my dad, I’ll sort it. Swear I will.

Hope to hear from you again soon.

Rick

X”

Kieren read the words over and over again until he could recite them from memory in his sleep. Three months was long enough to wait for a reply and in that time Kieren had wrote another four letters to Rick, he wondered why they had stopped coming. Rick and Kieren had been best friends since they were ten when Rick had defended him in front of a group of bullies. Despite Rick’s dad despising Kieren for being openly and unapologetically bisexual, Rick had stuck with Kieren through school and into their teenage years. That was until Rick’s dad Bill sent Rick away to a boarding school in Newcastle, since then the boys had kept in contact by sending each other letters and postcards. Once in a blue moon they’d exchange a phone call and Kieren would savour every word spoken across the line by his friend, and he’d smile like a love-struck idiot whenever the older boy called him “Ren”.

Three months was probably the longest the two of them had gone without contact in over seven years and now Kieren was worried.

He was lying stretched out on the bed that was far too small for him with his feet dangling off the end, wearing tartan trousers, big black leather boots with studs running up the sides and his _MCR_ T-shirt underneath the leather jacket that Rick had given him last year.

_“It doesn't fit me any more, and it suits you better anyway Ren”_

Kieren ran his index finger over the small “x” Rick had put at the end of his letter, he imagined how much courage that must’ve taken. Him and Rick had never been anything but friends, however, Kieren had always had something of a crush on Rick since they were fourteen. He’d expressed his love with a mix tape and had banned from the Macy’s house for life the same evening. Rick had shown signs of feeling the same way but Bill, was strict and Rick was scared to disobey him, even if it meant they could be together if he did.

Kieren didn’t blame him.

* * *

 

“I mean, I know it’d suit me but I think you’d look better in it!”

“Amy-”

“I know, I know, you want to keep up your punk image (!)”

“No, it’s not that…”

“What is it then?”

“I don’t like the colour.”

Amy frowned and put the blue, frilly skirt back on its hanger. “What colour would you prefer then?”

“I don’t know maybe pink?” Kieren rolled his eyes as Amy practically leaped for the pink skirt on the closest clothes rack. She took it off its hanger and eagerly held it up in front of Kieren.

“There. Perfect!” She grinned.

Kieren smiled fondly at her, before looking at the price tag and gasping in horror. “Sorry Amy, unless I win the lottery I’m not going to be walking around it that any time soon.”

“Shame, you would’ve looked moregeous.”

* * *

 

“Do you remember what Mr Preston said on Friday?” Amy asked as Kieren reached for his drink.

“No, should I?” He enquired, taking a swig of his hot chocolate. Amy kicked him under the table playfully and rolled her eyes.“We’re getting a new, trainee teacher in our English class, a literary student.”

“A collage man, you mean.”

Amy grinned wickedly “I always liked older men, besides” she raised the mug of coffee to her lips “this one isn't local.”

Kieren frowned “Where’s he from then?”

“Apparently he was born in Ireland and studied at a collage in Dublin, of course this is all just speculation, whispers heard in hallways and all that.” Amy waved her hand dismissively.

Kieren raised his eyebrows “I wonder what he’s doing here then.”

“He probably heard about the friendly townsfolk that Roarton is famous for, or he could've been desperate for work, either way he’s mine so hands off.”

Kieren snorted into his drink “I love how you've decided you have a crush on him even though you've never met him before.”

“Er, excuse me have you ever heard an Irish accent Kieren Walker?”

“No and neither have you!”

“…True, but I’ve heard that they’re sexy!” Amy winked at her best friend before standing up and gathering her shopping. “Ah, well, we’ll see in a month when he lands won’t we!”

“I guess we will.” Kieren agreed, getting up to hug Amy.

“Oh, I forgot to ask!” Amy said suddenly, breaking the hug in favour of holding Kieren’s hands and playing with his fingers instead. “Have you heard from Rick?”

Kieren’s shoulders tensed. “No, no I haven’t.”

Amy nodded seemingly unsurprised at Kieren’s response. Amy had never liked Rick very much. She’d come along at a time when Rick and Kieren were already inseparable and whenever she hung around with the both of them she’d always felt like a third wheel; not to mention whenever she was around Rick they were always in public. Rick acted differently in public than when it was just him and Kieren alone in the cave in the woods. Still, she’d always made an effort to get along with him, but only because she knew how much Rick meant to Kieren.

There was a long uncomfortable silence in which Amy stared down at Kieren’s hands. “Your nail varnish is chipped” She said softly. Kieren followed her gaze.

“So it is.”

“I’ll have to paint them again for you, this time a colour other than black.”

“What, pink to match the colour of my dream skirt?”

“Or green to match the colour of the envy you’ll be feeling when the Irish teacher is a cutie and you can’t have him cause he’ll be doing nothing but staring at me!”

“Shut up” Kieren chuckled. Amy beamed at him and pulled him into another hug, before ruffling his hair and walking towards the exit “See you tomorrow!” She yelled, disturbing a few members of the little café.

Kieren shook his head at her and sat back down. He stared out of the window at the empty streets. It was Sunday afternoon and he suspected that most of Roarton’s “friendly” townsfolk were gathered at the church to hear Victor Oddie’s weekly service. Kieren didn’t believe in God or heaven or any other religious mumbo-jumbo, he’d never really believed in much to be fair.

Rick would send another letter within the next week or so with a good excuse as to why he didn’t send one sooner and then he’d come home, and he’d smile and shake Kieren’s hand before waiting until they were alone, then he’d hug him and tell him how much he’d missed him and how awful the boarding school was and everything would be perfect.

Everything would work out.

Everything would be fine.

* * *

 

Rick Macy was killed in a car crash two weeks later.

Kieren never did find out why he never got a reply.


End file.
